John Hartson joined West Ham United from Arsenal in 1997, and the Welshman spent two years with the Hammers – scoring 24 times in 60 league appearances for the club.

Hartson netted 24 times in 42 appearances in all competitions during the 1997-98 campaign, but only managed four goals in 20 matches the following season before leaving for Wimbledon.

It was a short but sweet time at West Ham, and the former striker is still fondly remembered by the supporters that used to cheer him on a weekly basis.

The 42-year-old, who also managed 14 goals in 51 appearances for the Welsh national team, later represented Coventry City, Celtic, West Bromwich Albion and Norwich City before returning from professional football in 2007.

He was very much an old-fashioned centre-forward, and not too many of the modern-day centre-backs would fancy taking on Hartson in his prime.

West Ham posted a tribute message for the former striker on their official Twitter page on Wednesday, and the club’s supporters were on hand to hail the Welshman.

A selection of the reaction can be found below:

2️⃣1️⃣ years ago today we signed John Hartson from Arsenal for a club-record fee. The following season Hartson went on to score 24 goals in 42 games, finishing as the Club's top scorer.